Exhilirating

I waved my Obama sign this morning at the corner of a very congested intersection in Orange Park (Blanding and Kingsley, for those of you who know the area). And I must say, it was incredibly fun.

I was with a small group of Obama supporters (there were 5 people when I got there, but by the time I left, there were about 15 of us). Of course, there were McCain folks on the same corner, but down a bit. They were nasty (called one of the Obama volunteers a "baby killer," to her face; totally uncalled for), and they kept trying to edge in on us. But, the "Yes We Can" crowd held our ground.

I was pleasantly surprised by the positive reaction the Obama team seemed to receive. We got lots of honks, cheers, and thumbs-up. And, actually, it seemed as if we were getting more honks than the McCain crowd. But, since we were standing so close together, it was a little hard to tell.

The enthusiasm was really infectious among the Obama crowd. I absolutely loved being out there and part of the group. Every time somebody honked and waved, our group would yell and cheer even louder. It was terrific.

Of course, we did get some negative reactions, too. There were a few thumbs-down, a number of middle fingers, two shouts of "get a job," and somebody called us a bunch of "g--d--- communists." But I just laughed and blew kisses to those people. Like I said, it was totally fun.

Well, I promised the boys an election party tonight, so we're off to the store to get some balloons. I hope we'll be celebrating Obama's victory, but either way we'll be celebrating the end of George Bush's reign. It's all good.

Much fun at Sea World

We took a family trip to Sea World last weekend. Luke's mom, Frances, went with us, and everyone had a good time.

They have a great kids' section at Sea World ("Shamu's Happy Harbor"), and even Deacon could ride most of the rides. Wyatt, who has NO fear, loved the Shamu roller coaster. We got there early Sunday morning (the park was almost empty), and Wyatt and Luke got to ride the roller coaster three times in a row without having to get off. I'm pretty sure that was the highlight of his trip.

We also got to take Wyatt on a grown-up ride, the Journey to Atlantis (the log flume/water ride). Looking back, it might not have been the best move as a parent to take a small, 4-year-old on said ride. I'll admit, I was a bit scared while in the "boat." There are some big drops on that ride. But, Wyatt loved it. He had a huge grin on his face after it was over and asked to ride it again, so I guess that means he liked it.

(Some if the pictures are in sepia tone because we gave Wyatt the camera and didn't realize he'd changed the settings.)

The "boys" waiting in line to get in the park.

Wyatt took mommy's picture.

Wyatt catches Melinda and Luke hammin' it up!

Wyatt "sky-high" on a trampoline.

Probably my favorite photo.... :) Luke's mom was a

real trooper!

More fun at Sea World

More pictures.... Wyatt on the merry-go-round.

Deacon playing in the giant sand box.

Riding the whales....

On the nose...

Not to sure if Deacon is unhappy about the

scarecrow, or if he's practicing for the roller coaster.

Tomorrow

I'm so excited about tomorrow I can barely stand it. Aaaaahhhhhh! I just want it to be 9:00pm tomorrow night so that I can break open the bubbly and start the party.

And if for some reason the election is stolen from us, well...I don't even want to think about it.

Cowcat "Granlund" update

Well, Cowcat was still hanging around after we returned from Sea World. So...we "caught" her, brought her inside on Sunday night, and Monday we took her to the clinic. She's been spayed and had her shots, so I guess she's ours now. The boys love her, and I have to admit I was so happy when I saw her in our backyard on Sunday night (the night we returned from our trip.)

Update: She's been with us for a week now, and things are going fine. But, I did make the mistake of letting her out with us in the backyard on Thursday while we were playing. She stayed in the backyard for a while, chasing lizards and trying to catch a mole, but eventually I looked over and she was gone. We have a hole in our fence, and I suspect she took full advantage of it and decided to visit some of her old haunts. She was gone for about 5 hours. I was worried sick, kept checking outside every 5 minutes. But, Luke found her (in the neighbor's yard) when he got home.

Guess I should look into getting her a collar.

Is it...

...Tuesday yet??? I'm ready for this to be over.

(Go Obama!)

Old

Ok, so I was knocking on doors this evening, encouraging folks to vote for Obama. And, because this was my first time canvassing, I was paired up with another volunteer. He was a young guy, and we were just making chit-chat as we walked. I asked him what his "day job" was, and he said he was a high school senior.

And right then...I felt really old. I am twice as old as he is.

(In fact, he won't turn 18 until 4 days after the election. He can't even vote! Talk about dedication to a candidate.)

Cat update

We've decided to keep Cowcat.

I visited the home where I thought her "other" owners lived, and I learned that she isn't their cat either. They told me that she just showed up one day and that they had fed her out of pity. They gave me their blessing to keep her, so I feel much better knowing that we've aren't pursuing someone else's cat (that I know of).

We've ordered flea medication for her, and we've made an appointment to take her to the vet for spaying and shots in two weeks.

I want to have her spayed now, but we're taking a vacation to Sea World next week, and the idea of leaving a strange cat in the house, with our other cat, didn't seem appealing. So, the day after we get back is the day she goes to the vet. I just hope she's still around by then. (fingers crossed)

Doors

I am knocking on doors today for the Obama campaign. Should be interesting. I'll let you know how it goes.

Update: I was scheduled to volunteer between 4 and 6. I went to the Obama headquarters and was then directed to a "staging area." The staging area was the house of a volunteer who had agreed to open her home to volunteers to meet, eat, share notes, etc. Sort of a home-base for volunteers who are out canvassing neighborhoods. So, I went to said house, which happened to be in Loche Raine, where I met some members from Team Two. They compared notes about the people they had met during the day. (Some of them had been canvassing since 10:00am!) Then, we were off for more canvassing. We were sent to the Red Oaks subdivision off of Moody. The group I was with knocked on 15 doors in the neighborhood, but only 5 people answered their door. Everyone was friendly. (These were people who had donated to democrats in the past or who were registered democrats.) We were encouraging them to vote early (starts on the 20th!) and avoid the lines. After that, it was about 6pm, and my volunteer time was over. It was fun and I'd like to do it again. Luke said he's worried I'll run across some racist nutjob who'll try to do me harm, but I doubt it. These are democrats, afterall. :)

A new cat??

A neighborhood kitten seems to have adopted us. We call her "CowCat" because Luke says her coloring looks like that of a dairy cow.

I'm guessing she's only a few months old because she is small, and somewhat skinny, but she's starting to enter that phase where she's more legs than anything else.

We made the big mistake of putting some food out for her on the porch, and now she won't go back to her "other" home (across the street and 5 houses down). She appears to be an outdoor cat.

The boys love her. She is very friendly, and small enough that the boys can pick her up. (Our current cat, Chessie, is too big and heavy for them to pick up, plus, she's not crazy about the kids and wouldn't stay still long enough for them to actually try to pick her up.)

I'm not sure what to do about CowCat. She's sweet, and it's become a game for her to run inside when we open the front door. The boys think this is hilarious. They like to feed her and pet her. But, she's not ours. I don't know if her other household is missing her, or it they could care less that she spends more time with us.

I also don't know if her current owners have given her any shots, or had her fixed, or given her any flea treatments. I'd give her some our flea treatment, except I don't want to overdose her.

But most importantly, I don't know if I want another cat. For those of you who know us, we've lost three animals this year. One other cat and two dogs. It's been a rough year for the animals at our house, and we are getting used to having just Chessie around. I'm just not sure if I want to add another animal into the mix at this point.

A picture will come shortly.

Upgrading

Well, our TV started acting funky a week or two ago, with black lines running across the screen. And then last week, it stopped working, intermittently. I didn't mind watching through the lines, but when the TV would shut itself off, that was rather annoying.

Luke, of course, was ecstatic about this turn of events. "Gee, honey, I guess we're going to have to get a new TV," he said with a huge smile. "That's too bad. But hey, while we're at it, we might as well upgrade to HDTV." He is thrilled about the prospect of watching the Jags play in high def.

The sad part is that we will have to give up our Tivo because our current Tivo system is not compatible with all the new, upgraded equipment. We love Tivo. I don't know when I last watched a commercial. The new TV will have DVR capabilities, too, but I've heard it's not as good as Tivo. :(

The new TV arrives on Thursday.

silence

What is it about that early morning quiet that is so appealing? When you step outside in the early morning, as sunlight has barely begun to infuse the air, before the rest of the world is up and out, it is so peaceful.

The boys spent the night with their grandparents last night, and Luke had to leave early for a trip this morning. After Luke left, I sat on the front porch and just enjoyed the world slowly coming awake. It was so peaceful.

And of course, a good cup of coffee makes such a morning just about perfect.

Yard sign update

As I stepped off my front porch yesterday, I noticed something laying in the grass next to our Obama sign. I wandered down the sidewalk to take a look, and saw this.

Obviously, one of the signs was removed.

bad movie

Tropic Thunder is a terrible movie. I felt like I was actively losing brain cells the longer I sat in the theater and watched it. I mean, it is seriously bad. And we weren't looking for intellectually stimulating entertainment either; rather we just wanted to see something funny and slightly mindless to take our minds off job worries. But this was not that movie.

Luke and I recruited my parents to watch the boys so we could have a night off, and I can't believe we wasted our evening out on such ridiculousness.

We walked out after the panda scene.

Butterflies!

Wyatt received a really cool birthday present this year...a Butterfly Treehouse. It's basically a kit to raise butterflies, from the larva stage. You order the larvae, and they arrive arrive by mail in a small cup filled with larvae food. The larvae (caterpillars) seem to double in size every day, and it was very fun to watch them grow and spin silk. After about 7 days, they crawl to the top of the cup and hang upside down. The next day, they had formed chrysalides.

It was awesome to watch. They stayed in their chrysalides for another 7 days or so, and then they emerged as butterflies.

The whole family really enjoyed checking on the caterpillars and butterflies every day. We kept the butterflies in their "treehouse" for 2 days, and then we let them go today. They were called "painted ladies." I snapped a couple of pictures. I think we will probably order some more caterpillars again (you can reuse the butterfly house after cleaning it).

Hint: If you decide to release your butterflies outside, make sure there are no lizards in the immediate vicinity. Apparently, lizards enjoy eating butterflies. I was horrified to watch one of "my" butterflies be devoured by a hungry, lurking lizard. The circle of life I suppose.

Thanks, Becky, for a great gift. We all enjoyed it.

Pillow Party

YES!!

What do the polls say?

I've become somewhat obsessed with a new web site I discovered the other day about presidential preference polls. It's updated every day, sometimes several times a day, and provides summary and analysis of the numerous polls that are being conducted on a regular basis. http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/

At this point, things aren't looking too good for my man, Obama. (Notice the electoral college projections.) But, a lot can happen in 50 days.

There's a great deal of other information and statistics on the site, too. Check it out.

Politics

I have been wondering if I should mention my political opinions on this site, as I have been ridiculed for my current presidential choice by both family, friends and neighbors. But, this is my blog, and my opinion, and my choice, so here goes...


I am a Barack Obama supporter. Phew...I said it. (...peeking out from under the desk...no spitballs coming my way, no angry glances, no veiled threats...although all that will probably come later.)

First, let me say, I have my own personal reasons for supporting Obama, and it has nothing to do with abortion. I hate that abortion has become such a major wedge issue in the campaign. My brief thoughts on abortion are as such: I don't support it, but I don't think making the procedure illegal with do away with it. Drugs are illegal, and we still have a problem with drugs. Prostitution is illegal, and yet we still have prostitutes. It is my belief that we need to find a way to reduce the number of abortions. But I don't think that outlawing them will make the issue go away.


I don't really wish to get into the candidates' policy discussions at this point (I will leave that to my brother). But I am a little surprised (naive, maybe) at the reaction I have received when I tell people that I support Obama. Living in conservative Clay County, people look at me like I have two heads. I've been accused of not doing my political research, and I've even had my Christian faith called into question. My neighbors, who are supporting McCain, have told me my taxes will go up (they won't), that Obama is "a scary man" (what??), that he's not a Christian (he is), and that I'll be wearing a burqa within two years of Obama being elected (I will not. And neither will anyone else.)


I have an Obama sign up in my yard, and sure enough...within 24 hours of me putting it up, someone took it down. Now, they were nice about it and actually put the sign in my garage, but still...the fact is...they took it down. It's going to be an interesting 55 days.

Bags are packed?

Daddy's going on a trip, and Deacon wants to go, too!

Fun with Green Hair

Meet "Winnie." She is the latest addition to the Granlund family (a birthday present for Deacon). We've had much fun watering her and watching her hair grow. Today she received her first hair cut. (It's not very feminine, I know, but my options are limited. Next time we'll try for a mohawk.)

Bump

Recent research at the Granlund house has shown that door frame and forehead collisions can result in significant swelling and/or other damage. See photo below.

Good-bye Sarah

Sarah, we never really did right by you. You were such a gentle and beautiful dog. I'm sorry you weren't inside with us more. I miss you already. When I scraped the plates after breakfast this morning, I felt wasteful dumping it in the garbage. You would've licked 'em clean. :) When I turned off the kitchen light last night, I felt a little lonelier. I guess I always took some comfort, knowing you were outside that door.

I know you're in (dog?) heaven now, and I can imagine you and Hannah running, and barking, together. I'm glad you two are together again. Maybe I'll see you again someday.

What happens when you leave him alone?

On Saturday, Luke and the kids and I spent the morning cleaning up after tropical storm "Forever Fay." Fay lingered a long time and left a lot of tree debris in our yard. So, after a morning of raking, I took the kids inside to watch TV while I hopped in the shower. As soon as I got out of the shower, I heard a noise like glasses being clinked together. Needless to say, I went rushing out of the bathroom to find out what on earth the kids were up to, and this is what I find.

Yes, that's right. Deacon had pushed a chair over to the kitchen sink and climbed in, all by himself. (He's crying because I took away the glass that he was playing with and also turned off the water.) Guess I shouldn't leave him alone anymore. :)

First day of VPK!

Today is Wyatt's first day of Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (paid for by the state of Florida!) Yeah! He was a little tentative this morning, walking into class, but he didn't cry and he ultimately went willingly. I can't wait to pick him up and hear how it went!

Sad

I just made a disturbing phone call.

Our sweet Rottweiler, Sarah, is old and sick, and it is time for Luke and me to help end her misery. She has cancer, along with crippling arthritis in her back legs/hips. It's hard for her get around easily anymore. Well, Luke and I talked about it over the weekend, and we decided the time has come. So, I called the vet today and scheduled an appointment to have sweet Sarah put to sleep. I know it is the right thing to do, but I felt terribly strange after I hung up, knowing that I had just scheduled my dog's death. Very macabre.

Sir Wyatt

I am pleased to introduce Sir Wyatt, Knight of the Shenandoahs. Dragons, and little brothers, beware!

Try-outs

Here's a shout-out to my niece-in-law (is there such a word?), who's trying out for American Idol in Jacksonville, FL, this week. Maggie Granlund is an awesome singer, with a strong, clear powerful voice. Here's wishing you the best, Maggie! Good luck on Wednesday!

Jobs

Let's keep praying for some good news on the job front for Luke. He surely needs it, and I want him to be both successful and happy. Why is finding the right job so hard? Only God can see the big picture, I suppose, but I am ready for some divine intervention.

Just some kid pictures

Hi there...I've nothing important to share. I'm just posting so that I can move the ridiculous "Chicken Dance confession" on down the page. Here's some pictures of the kids...


Spending time at Grammy's house....

Deacon wearing mommy's shoes...

Wyatt hammin' it up for the camera

Chicken Dance confession

I have a to confession to make, and it's so embarrassing. I don't know if I should even post this, as I will surely be hassled and harassed about it later, but...I love the Chicken Dance!

I downloaded the song to my ipod the other day...ahem, so the kids could listen to it, of course...but I can't help but notice how the kids seem to be laughing at me as I all-out flail away to the music. I think they like the song because it makes their mom look like she's going into some strange sort of convulsion.

Ah, but dance away I will because I find it completely infectious. :)

Innocence

The other night the kids and I were riding home from my parents' house, after dinner. We had my ipod plugged in and were jamming to various songs along the way. The song "Hot Dog" by They Might Be Giants came on (some of you may recognize it as the closing credits song for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), and it is a favorite of both kids. Usually they sing along, but this time the reaction was a bit different. As soon as the song came on, Deacon burst out into a big smile and said something along the lines of "Dog!" (He's not much of a talker...yet.) Then he started clapping. It was so cute. And it seemed like such pure, innocent happiness that you couldn't help but smile while watching him. (Why watch the road when you can watch your baby jammin' in the backseat?)

Wyatt's reaction was different, though. He was full-on pouting and sometimes crying. He had gotten in trouble at Granns' house for calling his mama a not-nice name, and hence he lost the lollipop that had been promised him. He was angry at me. When Hot Dog came on, I noticed him stifle a smile. You could tell he wanted to clap along with Deacon but he didn't want to give up the crying/pouting routine, in case it somehow worked out that he might just yet get that lollipop.

Somewhere between Wyatt's almost four years of life and Deacon's almost two years, some innocence has been lost. Wyatt's learned to manipulate and to project an outward image that may be different than what he's feeling on the inside. The "twos" are hard, surely, but there's still an innocence that is heartwarming and refreshing. There's innocence at four, too, but it's different and maybe a little muted. I can only imagine how things will change as they grow older.

Holy?

It is my theory that men would prefer to wear their underwear until it disintegrates.

When my husband recently questioned why I was throwing away some of his underwear, I told him it was because there were holes in the underwear. He said he preferred it that way. I personally think holy underwear belongs in the trash, and so I will continue to toss them as I find them.

More Glacier pictures

Here are some more pictures from our Montana trip.

And, in case anyone is wondering, as I was, what exactly a glacier is, here's some info. Glaciers are made up of fallen snow that, over many years, compresses into large, thickened ice masses. Glaciers form when snow remains in one location long enough to transform into ice. What makes glaciers unique is their ability to move. Due to sheer mass, glaciers flow like very slow rivers. They can advance and retreat. The picture at the top is Jackson Glacier, which is the only glacier that can be seen from the Going To The Sun road in the National Park. It is estimated that all of the 20 or so remaining glaciers in the park will be gone by 2030.

Glacier National Park trip

We took a trip last week to Glacier National Park in Montana. The weather was refreshing...no humidity and cool temperatures! And the views were spectacular. I can't imagine what Montana would be like in the winter, but we loved visiting in the summer time. Here's some pictures.

What does public mean?

Let me pose a scenario...

First, there is a public beach. Beautiful, clean, lots of sand and waves.

Second, there is a company which is in the business of renting beach chairs and umbrellas along said beach. And they have a city-issued permit to do so, so they are legitimate. Every morning, an employee of the business sets up a row of about 10 umbrellas/chairs along the beach, hoping to attract patrons who will pay to sit in the chairs, under the shade.

Now, let's say this business routinely sets up its umbrellas/chairs directly right in front of a prominent hotel on the beach. They are not affiliated with the hotel, but this business is obviously hoping to make a little profit off of the guests of the hotel.

Third, there is a family. A family of four, with two small children. And this family happens to be a paying customer at the prominent hotel on the beach. And, as anyone with young children knows, a trip to the beach with kids involves a wagon-load of towels, chairs, buckets, shovels, rafts, umbrella, etc.

QUESTION: Is it wrong for said family to position themselves in between two of the previously mentioned umbrella/beach chair rentals lined up along the beach? Be honest.